Be The Change Recap: Making Good on Our Promise

On April 15, over 40 community members gathered virtually to discuss the state of education in Forsyth
County, NC under the banner Making Good on Our Promise.

View a recording of the event below or go to Facebook Live.

Event Overview

This community convening featured The 2020 Forsyth Promise Community Education Report. The purpose of this report is to share community information in an accessible and engaging way so that everyone can better understand our local systems of education and be encouraged to get involved and take action.

Event moderator, Mona Lovett, who is the President and CEO of Crosby Scholars and Co-chair of the Executive Advisory Board of The Forsyth Promise welcomed participants and opened the event.

Partnership Director Charlette Lindell presented information about The Forsyth Promise including the mission, vision, and The Forsyth Promise’s role in the community.

Adam Hill, Executive Director of Forsyth Futures and lead data team member of The Forsyth Promise, introduced the 2020 report by sharing its purpose, the community-engaged process used to guide the report and improvements implemented involving its design and development. Notably, this report is presented for the first time in a digital format that is meant to serve as living, interactive informational hub on The Forsyth Promise’s website. Additionally, the report highlights the lived experiences and stories of teachers, parents and education practitioners in our community who offered insight and personal perspectives.

This particular Be The Change, featured a new format in which breakout room discussions followed each speaker’s presentation, focused on four key sections of the report:

• community context,
• the impact of COVID-19,
• core education measures, and
• equity measures

• Cindy Gordineer, President and CEO, United Way of Forsyth County, who presented on ‘The Impact of COVID-19’
• Tricia McManus, Superintendent, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, who presented on ‘Core Education Measures’
• Dr. Effie McMillian, Executive Director of Equity, Access, and Acceleration, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, who presented on ‘Equity Measures’ and
• Shenell M. Thompson, Senior Program Officer of Local Impact in Forsyth County, Kate B. Reynolds CharitableTrust, who presented on the ‘Community Context Review’

Digging Deeper to Understand Our Educational Outcomes

Each speaker spent approximately 5 to 7 minutes on their respective topics highlighting a data point from the report and an associated community action before attendees were divided into breakout groups. During the breakout room discussions, attendees were asked to respond to two key questions:

1. With regard to this presentation, what is your initial reaction to what you heard?
2. What are some takeaways and/or next steps to consider with regard to this topic?

Breakout rooms were facilitated by TFP Executive Advisory Board members and TFP staff, who took notes on respondent comments.

Breakout Room Discussion Highlights:

The Impact of COVID-19

For background information, view the COVID-19 section of the 2020 TFP Report.

Question #1: With regard to this presentation, what is your initial reaction to what you heard?

• Not surprised by the data but frustrated with how slow progress has been.
• Consistent with statewide and nationwide data.
• We are starting to come out of this, but kids are still going to need a lot of support.
• There’s a lot of difficulty getting people to adjust to remote learning.

Question #2: What are some takeaways and/or next steps to consider with regard to this topic?

• Positive outcomes are forecasted for the community’s broadband efforts.
• Change has happened so maybe take the few things that have been successful — use these changes as lessons instead of going back to business as usual.
• Identify ways to make education better.
• Uncovering the good and changing face of education.
• Focus on what is really important instead of going back
  to what used to be “normal.”
• The school system to find ways to help students get back the learning they lost during the pandemic.
• We have to help students find motivation.

Breakout Room Discussion Highlights:

Core Education Measures

For background information, view the Core Education Measures section of the 2020 TFP Report.

Question #1: With regard to this presentation, what is your initial reaction to what you heard?

• A parent of an elementary school child is curious to know how teachers think the language immersion working.
• Excited about the aggressive goals.
• Helpful to see how the system is addressing reading issues.
• Reinforced need for quality Pre-K and early learning.
• Community groups want to jump in and help with the work ahead.
• Excited to learn phonics and phonemic learning is being brought back into the school system.

Question #2: What are some takeaways and/or next steps to consider with regard to this topic?

• The focus on literacy is good, but make sure math and science are also strengthened.
• Let the community know to help.
• Do not pull kids out of literacy instruction.
• Have community members come in and have the students read with an adult in
  the library or elsewhere instead.
• Get students excited about reading with an adult; release co-workers to read with students.
• Need to make sure teachers/schools have what they need in order to implement the
  program.

Breakout Room Discussion Highlights:

Equity Measures

For background information, view the Equity Measures section of the 2020 TFP Report.

Question #1: With regard to this presentation, what is your initial reaction to what you heard?

• Super excited about the openness of working with students, families and the community; working on the code together so that it will feel like it is “our
  code.”

• Excited to see that there is an approach dealing with policy not just sending teachers/principals to yet another training.

• Time to stop “lumping/grouping” all minority groups together and really drill down on Black children.

Question #2: What are some takeaways and/or next steps to consider with regard to this topic?

• Using the word “restorative” means looking at aspects of trauma-informed care and the
  reality that lots of black males are victims of trauma.
• Exclusionary practices hurt kids; even one suspension makes a child less likely to graduate.
• Males of color are the group that is suspended the most.
• Adults need to learn who their students are and build relationships.
• Praise what is working; change is important.
• Need to really talk with parents and listen to what they have to say concerning discipline.

Breakout Room Discussion Highlights:

Community Context Review

For background information, view the Community Context Review section of the 2020 TFP Report.

Question #1: With regard to this presentation, what is your initial reaction to what you heard?

• Celebrate small wins — in this case talking about it and trying to address it as a community rather than in silos is encouraging.
• All about getting rid of benefits cliff. We need economic mobility for people to move up.
• Disconnected patchwork of programs that have been built over time.
• Identify how can people improve their lives and not depend on the system for subsidies.

Question #2: What are some takeaways and/or next steps to consider with regard to this topic?

• The Asset-Building Coalition is doing some great local work on this front and good to engage with.
• Raise awareness – many do not know exactly what the benefits cliff is — very deep issue. Learn more about the Benefits Cliff. 
• Look at the systems and see how they are continuing to keep people boxed in instead of
  helping them to move upward and out of poverty and/or using subsidies.

Conclusions and Next Steps

Action Committments

The event closed out with a call-to-action appeal that featured a list of action commitments as guideposts for attendees to continue the work.

Actiton Item: Click here to review the options and identify your action items.

Special THANKS to all presenters, facilitators including TFP Executive Advisory Board and TFP Team members, along with the United Way of Forsyth County Marketing and Engagement team, for making this event a success!